David Archuleta's 'The Other Side of Down': A track-by-track review

Singers often say they had their whole lives to create their first album but only a few months to make their second. David Archuleta had almost the opposite experience. He had to cut his 2008 album quickly after finishing as the runner-up on American Idol's seventh season, but The Other Side of Down was more than a year in the works. As a result, the album more directly reflects the 19-year-old singer's personality, in large part because he co-wrote 10 of its 12 songs (as opposed to having a writer's credit on just two tracks the first time out). The result's a sweet, good-natured pop album that may have trouble fitting into the highly sexualized playlists of current Top 40 radio but ought to please his fans immensely.

The Other Side of Down (Writers: David Archuleta, Joy Williams, Blair Daly, Jeremy Bose). The first song on David's new album establishes his mindset as he entered the process. "I could give up, I could stay stuck or I could move on," he sings on his way into a chorus where he insists "Nothing's gonna break my stride" (echoing, perhaps, Matthew Wilder's 1983 hit Break My Stride?) If David begins in the album in a down place looking for the other side, this song's optimistic lyrics and persistent beat suggest he doesn't intend to stay there long.

Something 'Bout Love (David Archuleta, Sam Hollander, Dave Katz, Chris DeStefano). S*A*M & Sluggo's inerrant pop instincts and Eurodance-influenced production help the album's first single one of its high points (think a less-dysfunctional My Life Would Suck Without You). Like a modern-day Gene Pitney song swearing that only love can break a heart, Something 'Bout Love finds that sweet spot right between infatuation and heartache.

Elevator (David Archuleta, Shelly Peiken, Mike Krompass). Knowing David's struggles with indecision, it's not hard to figure out where the dream that inspired this song -- about getting on an elevator and not knowing which floor to stop at -- came from. The melody reflects the subject matter, as David jumps in and out of his falsetto range, with a second vocal track sometimes moving in a different direction. David never does find the person he's looking for in the song, but "at least I took a chance," he sings, as if he were shrugging his shoulders and flashing that shy grin.

Stomping the Roses (Bryce Avary, David Archuleta). "I've always been your token nice guy," David sings against a driving dance track to the person who has turned his life into a soap opera. He seems determined to stay that way, too: Even as he realizes she's so petulant she'd probably grind a gift of flowers under her heels, there's not a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Who I Am (David Archuleta, Shelly Peiken, Mike Krompass). Two songs previous, David was stuck in an elevator, trying to figure out where to exit; now, he's circling the city in a taxi cab while the meter runs -- because it's the only place he can find a little peace from the craziness of the perpetual motion machine whirring incessantly outside. Think of it as a mini-vacation where he can think for a minute and ignore his cellphone, even if it means blowing off calls from Jive Records' senior VP of A&R.

Falling Stars (Emanuel Kiriakou, Claude Kelly, Jess Cates). David thinks this song -- from two-thirds of the team that brought you Crush and one of only two on the album he didn't have a hand in writing -- doesn't really fit the theme of the rest of the album. After all, it seems to be little more than a fond farewell of a love song, an "I'll never get over you" message that might fit on a mixtape between Snow Patrol's Chasing Cars and Owl City's Fireflies. But considering that it's sung a guy who says one of his worst fears is being left behind, all you have to do is listen to the song's first lines -- "When you forget me/When you don't remember my name/Not even a memory/Somewhere in the back of your brain" -- to understand how it made the final cut for the album.

Parachutes and Airplanes (David Archuleta, Matt Squire, Lindy Robbins). You know the way you feel weightless the first time you kiss somebody (or think about kissing them)? That's what David's going for in this song, with all its imagery of trampolines, ballerinas on wires and freezing kaleidoscopically colorful moments in time.

Look Around (David Archuleta, Matt Squire, Victoria Horn). The track chimes and bleeps like an Owl City tune, but the song itself could be a sequel to Who I Am, with its message to slow down and enjoy the moment.

Good Place (Mitch Allan, David Archuleta, Shelly Peiken). "I don't know what I'm doing here," David sings at the start of this song, sounding for all the world like Vice Admiral James Stockdale in the 1992 vice-presidential debate. Not that he's complaining, mind you – he's just hoping that he can make the most of the moment and turn this good place into a great one. The melody in the chorus suggests he's on the right track.

Complain (Emanuel Kiriakou, David Hodges, Claude Kelly). David didn't write this one, but its optimistic, inspirational tone -- with a gospel feel and bluesy guitar licks -- fits right in with his album's theme.

Things Are Gonna Get Better (David Archuleta, Danielle Brisebois, Nick Lashley, A Ander). This message of encouragement starts softly, with little more than piano chords and acoustic guitar but it steadily builds, till at the end David's marching along with a full gospel choir.

My Kind of Perfect (David Archuleta, Joy Williams, Cindy Brouwer, Jeremy Bose). For a teenager's pop album, The Other Side of Down is remarkably low on love songs. Sure, Parachutes and Airplanes and Falling Stars capture the first and last feelings in a relationship, but, mostly, David stays away from the kind of kinds of songs that set the hearts of, say, Justin Bieber fans a-twitter. Maybe that's because he hasn't found the right person to sing those songs about. "I know she's gotta be out there," David sings in this lovely little piano tune. He vows that he'll keep searching for "my kind of perfect," even though he's a little afraid he might already know her or have seen her walked by and screwed everything up. Meanwhile, some teenaged girl is listening to this song on her iPod and thinking, "Well, if you'd just tweet me back, we could solve this problem right now."

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About Brian Mansfield

Nashville-based Brian Mansfield began writing about music for USA TODAY in 1997 and took over Idol Chatter just before the start of Season 8. He co-authored Make Me a Star: Industry Insiders Reveal How to Make It in Music, and while he has never auditioned for American Idol, he did sing Boot Scootin' Boogie at Disney World's American Idol Experience the day the attraction opened (he lost). More about Brian | E-mail Brian